Bottle closures



Febf 14, 1956 A. c. LINDSTROM BOTTLE CLOSURES Filed March 5, 1951 2,734,651 Ice Patented Feb. 14, 195s BOTTLE CLOSURES Alrik Civer Lindstrm, Stockholm, Sweden Application March 5, 1951, Serial No. 213,847 Claims priority, application Sweden March 6, 1950` 9 Claims. Cl. 21S-40) The invention relates to closures for bottles, jars or similar containers.

One object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved closure, whereby an absolutely reliable seal may be obtained, thereby preventing liquids or gases contained in the bottle to escape.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closure of a material which has great resistance against acids, alkalis and solvents and is easily sterilizable.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure which does not adhere or stick to the container.

The closure according to the invention may be used on bottles having various inner diameters of the neck with the same sealing reliability.

In the accompanying drawing several embodiments of the closure are shown. Like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout.

Fig. l is a sectional view of a closure according. to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a modified' form,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a sealing means in another modified form, Fig. 4k is a plan view from beneath of a cap for a bottle fitting the sealing means in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a further modified form of a sealing means and Fig. 6 is a plan view from beneath of a cap fitting the sealing means in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a further embodiment of a sealing element according to the invention.

As illustrated, the invention comprises a cap 1 having a cylindrical portion provided with screw threads 2 to engage the screw threads 3 on the neck of the bottle 4 or other container. The bottle construction follows conventional container design in that the wall portions dening the bottle mouth terminate in an end surface encircling the mouth in a plane transverse to the axis of the mouth. The cap 1 can be made of plastic or other material. Extending inwardly from the bottom of the cap 1 is a central stud S, which may be solid or may be provided with a recess 6, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The sealing member of the closure comprises an imperforate one-piece body of resilient material having a central sleeve 7 which is closed at its lower end by an integral web S, and a flange 9 which flare outwardly and upwardly from the sleeve 7. The sleeve 7 has a snug push fit upon the stud 5 of the cap 1 to retain the sealing member and cap in assembled relation when removed from the container, and has a limited range of axial movement with respect to the stud. This range of movement is pro vided by so proportioning the stud 5, sleeve 7 and sealing flange 9 that the top of the sleeve 7 is spaced from the root of the stud 5, and the web 8 is spaced from the lower end of the stud 5, when the closure is rmly secured upon a bottle 4 or other container. The rim portion of the sealing flange 9 is initially conical, as shown in Fig. 7, and its upper edge rests against the inner face of the cap 1 when the sealing member is assembled on the cap by slipping the sleeve 7 upon the stud 5. The conical rim portion of flange 9 centers the cap 1 upon the neck of a bottle 4 to which it is applied, thus facilitating the proper engagement of the cap thread 2 with the thread 3 ofthe bottle. neck. On turning the cap down upon the bottle, the conical rim portion of the flange 9 isl forced downwardly and outwardly over the inner edge of the bottle mouth in. a manner similar to the spinning of sheet metal over an annular former. The. sleeve 7 slides upwardlyl upon the stud 5 during the tightening of the closure upon theA bottle and, in the nal fully sealed conditiony as shown inlFig.' 1,l the' rim portion of' the flange 9 is tightly compressed upon the top surface of thev bottle bythe cap 1.

The flange 9 has a diameter somewhat less than that of the cylindrical. cap portion which fits over the bottleneck but greater than that of the inner edge of the bottle mouth. For the tightening .property ofY the sealing means it is of no importance whether the inner width of the mouth. is large or small because the resilient conical rim of theflange 9 is spun or rolled into tight sealing contact with the inner edge of the bottom mouth in spite of variation inthe sizeor shape of the bottle mouth.

lf. sticky or drying substances arestored up in the bottle there is a risk of the sealing means sticking to the mouth. when the cap is screwed onto the. bottle. For that reason the studs according to Fig. 2. may be provided with a diametricalv groove 10, inthe end. of the tap 5 en gaging a rib 11 on the bottom of the web 8 of the sleeve so that the sealing means isforced to. rotate when the cap is unscrewed.

In Figs. 3 and. 4 another driving means is shown. The tap 5 is provided with axial grooves 12 engaging corresponding axial ribs 13 on the inside of the sleevev 7.

Figs. 5 and. 6 show a further driving means betweenthe tap 5 and the sleeve 7. The tap 5 isprovided. with axial ribs 14 engaging corresponding axial grooves 15 in the inside surface of the sleeve.

in Fig. 7 a sealing element is. shown in which a centralv stud 16 is provided insteadl ofl thesleeve 7 as previ ously described. The. stud 1'6 is adapted toy fit in` therecess 6, shown in Fig. l, for the same purpose as said sleeve 7.

The flange 9 is of substantially uniform thickness and sealing means may consist of a plastic material, such as polyethylene, which is highly resilient and has a great resistance against acids, alkalis and solvents and which does not affect the taste of the substance in the bottle.

What l claim is:

l. A sealing element for use within a cap adapted to be applied to containers having a mouth deiined by a container wall portion terminating in an end surface encircling the mouth in a plane transverse to the axis of the opening of the container mouth, the cap having a stud extending centrally inward from the lower surface thereof and an internally threaded cylindrical portion for fitting over the container mouth; said sealing element comprising an imperforate one-piece member of resilient material for insertion in the cap, said sealing member having a conical rim portion of uniform thickness for seating over the container mouth, the conical surface of the rim portion Haring inwardly towards the interior of a container to which it may be applied, and means at the center portion of said sealing member for sliding telescopic engagement with the stud of a cap to connect the sealing member to the cap.

2. A closure for containers having a mouth defined by a container wall portion terminating in an end surface encircling the mouth in a plane transverse to the axis of the opening of the container mouth; said closure comprising a cap having a cylindrical portion with means for tightening the same upon the container, an imperforate sealing member of resilient material within said cap, the

rim portion of said sealing member being conical and flan ing outwardly from the central portion of the sealing member to t upon the mouth of the container, the diameter of said rim portion being intermediate that of the container mouth and the internal diameter of said cylindrical cap portion and cooperating means comprising telescoped elements located centrally of said sealing member and said cap slidably supporting the sealing member on the cap.

3. A closure as recited in claim 2, wherein said telescopecl elements comprise a stud on said cap and a sleeve on said sealing member.

4. A closure as recited in claim 2, wherein said telecoped elements comprise an axially recessed stud on said cap, and a stud on said sealing member for seating within said axial recess of the cap stud.

5. A closure for containers having a mouth defined by a container wall portion terminating in an end surface encircling the mouth in a plane transverse to the axis of the opening of the container mouth; said closure comprising a cap having a cylindrical portion fitting over the container mouth, said cap having a stud extending centrally inward from the lower surface thereof, a sleeve of resilient material slidably telescoped over the inner end of said stud and having a closed lower end, a conically shaped imperforate sealing ange integral with and extending from said sleeve divergently toward said lower surface of said cap, the diameter of said sealing ange being greater than that of the container mouth and less than the inner diameter of said cylindrical cap portion, whereby said sealing ange initially seats upon the inner edge of the container mouth, and threads on the interior of said cylindrical portion, whereby the cap may be moved axially of the container to compress the outer portion of said sealing ange towards the encircling end surface of the container mouth.

6. A closure as recited in claim 5, wherein the stud of said cap and said resilient material Sleeve have cooperating means mechanically interlocking the same to prevent relative rotation thereof.

7. A closure as recited in claim 6, wherein said cooperating means comprise a transverse groove in the inner end of said stud and a transverse rib integral with said sleeve and seated in said groove.

8. A closure as recited in claim 5, wherein said sleeve has a snug telescoping fit on said stud, thereby to retain said unitary sieeve and sealing ange assembled on said cap when the latter is removed from a container.

9. A closure for containers having a month defined by container wall portion terminating in an end surface encircling the mouth in a plane transverse to the axis of the opening of the container mouth; said closure comprising a cap member having a cylindrical portion and a flat rim portion parallel to said end surface, an imperforate sealing member of resilient material within said cap, the rim portion of said sealing member being substantially in the form of a rusto-conical lip flaring outwardly from the central portion of said sealing member to tit upon the mouth of the container, the diameter of said lip being intermediate that of the container mouth and the inter nal diameter of said cylindrical cap portion, cooperating means comprising telescoped elements located centrally of said sealing member and said cap member slidably supporting said sealing member on said cap member, said flat rim portion of said cap member contacting said lip in operative position, and means for moving said cap member axially of the container to compress said lip down upon and against said end surface.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 565,328 Buhler Aug. 4, 1896 745,375 Owens Dec. 1, 1903 756,956 Gilchrist Apr. 12, 1904 1,158,462 Dunnock Nov. 2, 1915 1,179,622 Gavin Apr. 18, 1916 1,629,639 Rollins May 24, 1927 1,793,048 Brigel Feb. 17, 1931 1,989,218 Villanyi Jan. 29, 1935 2,011,140 Berglund Aug. 13, 1935 2,016,224 Bukolt Oct. 1, 1935 2,526,622 Martin Oct. 24, 1950 2,543,427 Warne Feb. 27, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,088 Switzerland of 1893 

